Salzberg Salt Mine

Straddling the Austrian–German border
Is a famous salt mine
That has been worked
For more than a thousand years.
There was a time
When its salt
Was more valuable than gold
And wars were fought
Over its control.
The Salzburg mine
Is still in operation today,
But was also
A major visitor attraction,
At least when
My daughters and I
Stopped by.
Seeking adventure,
We jumped at the chance
To opportunity to explore
The famous mine.
The suspense mounted
As each of us was suited
From head to toe
In white coveralls
To protect our clothes
From the salt.
A train took us
Into the bowels
Of the mountain
Where we disembarked.
A sign at the entrance
Informed us we would be going
1750 feet deep into the mine.
We walked through
Labyrinthine passages
Of white crystalline salt
Listening to the guides
Regale us stories of the mine.
There were several highly polished
Wooden slides
Set up so that we had no idea
How far down they went.
The sign at the entrance
Was fresh in our minds
And we knew the train
We came in on
Traveled a level track,
So we had to slide blind
Wondering if each slide
Would take us
A quarter of a mile down.
My daughter, Ruby,
Tried to be brave,
But clung to me
In mortal terror
As we went down.
I enjoyed that!
Inside the mine
We encountered a variety
Of fascinating sights
Including religious shrines
And tributes to various emperors
Who had ruled the area.
There was a boat
That traversed the still waters
An underground lake,
But the thing that intrigued us
More than anything else,
Were two miners
Who had been killed
In an ancient cave-in,
Then pickled by the salt
That they were attempting to mine.
They were partially excavated
And left hanging
Half way out of the walls
In which they were entombed
Wearing their final
Expression of agony,
Frozen in time,
And displayed in a particularly
Germanic fashion.
The last I heard,
The mine is no longer
Open to tourists,
But if you ever get a chance,
It’s well worth seeing.